NH Motorcycle Exam

[Leethal88]

Hey all, so Thursday I am taking my test for motorcycle license... Already passed the written part. Reading the materials looks like it is a standard MSF course... Has anyone taken it recently in NH? Is it hard? I put almost 300 miles on my PCX150 so I figure that should be enough practice...

[OriginalRocket]

I have no idea what NH motorcycle exam will be about, you can look that up yourself.

What I do know about is the IL exam. Never went faster than 25mph. All of it was about control in slow speed, emergency braking, and avoidance maneuvers.

Such as bringing the moto upright before braking in a turn. And doing this within a set distance.

Emergency braking, Stop as quick as you can without locking up the tires.

Dodge right or left at "high speed" to avoid an obstacle.

And the hardest part: double circles inside a box, very slow speed, feet can't touch ground, must offset body weight to counter the lean and balance the bike.

oh and do your t-clocks before riding off! Properly mount and dismount moto. Never taking your 2 hands off the bars the entire time you are sitting on the motorcycle

Good luck.

[Leethal88]

Yeah its a standardized test from what I read, guess I wont know how hard it will be till I try it, heres hoping I do good!! haha

[Mel46]

What was just said about the IL test is the same in Georgia. We were fortunate in that we found a couple of exam courses that were open for practice on Sundays. Let me just say that it isn't easy. Because I have ridden motorcycles most of my life a little practice was all I needed. However, my wife had one heck of a time, even in practice. The hardest part is the S.L.O.W. circles around an object the size of a baseball. Some courses used small cones. Others used painted circles. In either case, these were all within a box and you were not allowed to go outside of the box. It took my wife multiple weekends of practice sessions before she was confident enough to take her test. In Georgia you have a certain number of months that you can ride with your permit before having to take the actual riding test. The key is practice....lots and lots of practice.

[dustin91]

I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, which in NJ gives you the motorcycle license endorsement if you pass. I couldn't recommend this route more, but if you're looking to take the test on your own, I'd recommend finding where one of the courses is offered near to you, and take your scooter there off hours and ask to use the course. Mine was located in the parking lot of a community college. You may not know what all the markings are for, and NJ doesn't require the circle ride - which even after 900 miles on my PCX I'm not sure I could do! But we did have the figure-8 U-turns, the maintaining speed through cornering, the slow straight ride, obstacle avoidance, and braking as well. Again, well worth the $300 for me!

[logepoge1]

Here the dmv lady told me to go down to the convenience store and turn around to come back. She just stood in the Parking lot and watched me

[WhiteNoise]

Hi Lee You may find this PDF helpful. It's the MSF "You & Your Scooter Riding Tips" Guide. Take a look at Pages 47-67, the Skill Test Practice Guide. Hmm...I think that practicing whatever "You" are uneasy about while riding, gives you a pretty good idea of what "You" have to practice Harder at. You know,....like those tight turns, where you might go wide and get a little spooked that you Did That
Well, I think you know what I mean Good Luck, relax and have Fun. Listen very closely to the instructor and you will do fine.
Here's that link: http://msf-usa.org/downloads/Scooter-tips-2005.pdf
.

[kramnala58]

Hey all, so Thursday I am taking my test for motorcycle license... Already passed the written part. Reading the materials looks like it is a standard MSF course... Has anyone taken it recently in NH? Is it hard? I put almost 300 miles on my PCX150 so I figure that should be enough practice...

It depends how you put that 300 miles on. If it is pretty much open road driving, it really does't give a lot of riding experience. Remember how easy it was to hit the wall with your first PCX. God slow and steady and don't panic.

[Leethal88]

Yeah I appriciate all the replies.... The 300 miles were all at back roads which included lights, stop and go lights, bends, and up to 55 mph speeds. I'm feeling pretty confident just nervous but worst case if I fail I can just go back the following week and try again...

[PKrellner]

I had a real problem with the circles. We had to do a tight figure eight at a very low speed within a striped in area. Not allowed to go outside the box and couldn't put a foot down . That part of the course I failed miserably. The rest was easy and I ended up passing. This was an MSF course and I was glad I took it. They put you through multiple practice runs on all the parts of the test. When I did those I was much better but under the stress of testing, knowing I had to do it right, I choked on the turns. I wanted to ask what the hell we needed them for when we probably wouldn't be in a position to use such a skill in the real world. Since then I've had to maneuver in some tight spots but, in reality, you can put a foot down if you have to and even power walk to get where you want to go.

[~Cheap_Ride~]

Im so old that when I took the MSC it was free. We rode small 125 enduro type bikes. Lots of what we did was weave thru cones, avoiding obsticals, accellerating to 35 mph and locking up the rear brake (shortest stopping distance ) and we even had to run over a piece of wood for a simulation. The course was two weeks long but we only met two or three nights a week. Upon completing the course all I had to take was the written exam down at the DMV. It all came pretty natural at the time. I have had the license since I was 17. My first bike was a Honda 400. I went quite some time in my thirties without riding at all. I got back in to it when I bought my first scooter and have ridden ever since.

Practice the things required and be confident when you go take the test. Be positive and you will turn out fine.

[Leethal88]

Yeah true and everyone says taking the test on my PCX150 will be wicked easy also...

[strkngfang]

I took the BMV motorcycle test on my first scoot, which was a very light 09 Yamaha Vino 125 & it was pretty easy. I practiced a few days prior since the course was painted on the pavement behind the building. I saw on YouTube what the markings meant so I knew what to do. A few riders on Harley's & sport bikes failed, they couldn't do slow speed figure eights.
I took the MSF course a few years later with my wife & it was easy too, but informative. I was on an SH150i & my wife, an Elite 110.

[DAB]

Living in the UK and having passed my test 38 years ago, all we had to do was ride along the road while being observed. I was wondering is the obstacle course anything like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCGaQMgkzw8

[PKrellner]

NO! Thank God!

[dustin91]

I don't think he was using his turn signals properly!

[Leethal88]

Yeah if it's like that I got no chance on the PCX!! Lol

[katschamne]

I've taken the MSF course and the IL DMV test. While they are pretty much the same the one at the DMV was done in a much smaller area. I haven't passed either test to date. During the MSF course I ended breaking my foot and didn't pass the test by 4 points. After I was able to take the boot off the broken foot I decide to try for the test down at the DMV and didn't pass the first part of the test in which you have to weave between the cones (circles as some may have described) they were closer together and wider than the MSF course. I wanted to practice at the DMV but they have signs posted that you are unable to and the one course at the college is different. I think that if I had some practice on the DMV course I would be able to pass it. I might take the MSF class again. This time I will try and be a walk in and hopefully I will get in and not break my foot.

[Leethal88]

Oh wow, yeah the test wasn't bad I passed. The weaving thru cones wasn't as bad as I thought the hardest for me was the u turn I hit some of the yellow. I got docked on the braking suddenly part.. Something about they measure speed and stopping but it was hard for me to get up to a good speed and brake too, regardless I got 8 points taken off total max was 10 so I was a happy camper, got my new license, registered the PCX and now my story riding on 2 wheels begins!

[Leethal88]

And again thanks to all for the helps and posts it meant a lot to me! Hopefully someone else taking the NH Moto exam will find this thread helpful someday